Stabilizing latch mechanism for vehicle door



NOV- 2, 1955 c. s. LAUTENBACH 3,215,452

STABILIZING LATCH MECHANISM FOR VEHICLE DOOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 19, 1963 NOV 2, 1965 c. s. LAUTENBACH 3,215,462

STABILIZING LATCH MECHANISM FOR VEHICLE DOOR Filed July 19, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IIIIII.

I N VEN TOR.

United States Patent O 3,215,462 STABILIZDJG LATCH MECHANISM FOR VEIECLE DUUR Charles S. Lauteubach, Rochester, Mich., assigner to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Filed Iuly 19, 1963, Ser. No. 296,263 8 Claims. (Cl. 292-22) This invention relates to vehicle doors and more particularly to latch mechanisms for vehicle doors mounted for translatory swinging movement with respect to a vehicle body door opening.

To facilitate door opening movement in a space restricted by an adjacent obstruction and to provide easier access to the vehicle passenger compartment, some vehicle doors have been mounted by spaced swinging bar hinges forming quadrilateral hinge linkages. Such hinges translate the door outwardly and forwardly of the vehicle body door opening with controlled outward swinging of the rear of the door. The compound motion provided has further advantage with certain side body contours eliminating interference between the edges of the door and door opening adjacent the hinge supporting pillar. When used with a conventional vehicle door lock or latching mechanism, however, such hinges permit limited cyclic rebounding of the hinged side of the door relative to the hinge supporting pillar during vehicle operation. This rebounding results in objectionable noise and excessive wear and destructive impacting of the adjacent weatherseal. Such rebounding may gbe prevented by use of an additional latching means engageable between the hinge supporting pillar and the adjacent side face of the door. Prior to the instant invention, such secondary latching mechanisms have been operably connected with detenting means of the primary latch mechanism for simultaneous release by alternative operation of either an inside or outside button or handle. Such compound latching arrangements have generally required relatively complex detent operating linkages and excessive operating effort.

The instant invention contemplates the use of a relatively simple door stabilizing secondary latch means including a bolt engageable with a keeper or striker mounted on the hinge supporting pillar and operably connected for door datching actuation and release by movement of the door relative to the primary latch engaging pillar and independently of the primary latch detent operating means.

In an illustrative embodiment disclosed herein, the invention further contemplates and speciiically features a secondary door stabilizing latch means comprising two shaft connected rotary bolts journaled on opposite jamb facing ends of the door for latching engagement with mating keepers or strikers adjustably mounted on the adjacent pillars of the vehicle body. Closing movement of the door relative to the primary lock engaging pillar is thus rotatably transmitted to the opposite rotary bolt which cooperates with the adjacent hinge pillar mounted keeper to actuate the hinged side of the door to a corresponding bolt maintained in closed position.

The foregoing objects, advantages and features of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the illustrative embodiment, having reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view of an automotive vehicle body portion including a front door Elli-i6??? Patented Nov. 2, 1965 ICC hinged for translatory swinging movement and incorporating a door stabilizing secondary latch mechanism illustrative of the invention;

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken substantially in the plane indicated at 2 2 of FIG- URE 1 and shows the door in its closed position with the rotary bolts of the secondary latch mechanism in latching engagement with the adjacent pillar mounted keepers;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 showing the door and secondary latch mechanism in slightly opened spaced relation to the adjacent pillars of the vehicle body;

FIGURE 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View taken substantially in the plane indicated at 4-4 of FIG- URE 1 and shows the structure and geometry of the swinging bar quadrilateral linkage hinging the lower portion of the door to the vehicle body;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially in the plane indicated at 5-5 of FIGURE 2 and shows latching engagement between the driving rotary bolt of the door stabilizing latch mechanism and the adjacent lock pillar mounted keeper; and

FIGURE 6 is a sectional view taken substantially in the plane indicated at 6 6 of FIGURE 2 showing the mounting and use of torsional springs in the illustrative embodiv ment to position the rotary bolts of the stabilizing latch mechanism to insure proper initial engagement with the hinge and lock pillar mounted keepers.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the partially shown vehicle body 10 is provided with a front door opening 12. This door opening is defined between a hinge supporting front pillar 14 and the forward edge of a rear door 18 suitably hinged to a center post or front door lock pillar 20. A door 22 is hinged to the front pillar 14 by vertically and laterally offset swinging bar hinges 24, 26, 28 and 30. As best shown in FIGURES 2-4, the primary door supporting inner hinges 24 and 3G cooperate with the intermediate outwardly mounted control hinges 26 and 28 to define quadrilateral swinging bar linkages adapted to carry the door outwardly and forwardly of the hinge pillar 14 from the weatherseal engaging, fully closed position shown in FIGURES 1 and 2 with controlled outward swinging movement of the rear of the door to a checked fully opened position, not shown.

The door 22 is provided with a primary door lock or latch mechanism, generally indicated in broken lines at 34 in FIGURE 1. This latch mechanism may be of any suitable conventional design having a detented bolt engageable with a mating conventional striker or keeper 36 mounted on the center door pillar 20 to progressively maintain effected door closing movement and having a bolt detenting linkage operably connected for bolt releasing disengagement by alternative operation of an outside push button or handle indicated at 38 or of an inside door handle, not shown.

In accordance with the invention, door closing movement relative to the primary lock pillar 20 is operable through a door stabilizing secondary latch mechanism 40 to provide regulated corresponding closing movement of the forward portion of the door toward its weatherseal engaging, fully closed position relative to the hinge supporting pillar 14 and to stabilize and maintain the forward portion of the door in any closed position corresponding to the door closed position rearwardly effected and maintained by the primary latch mechanism.

The illustrative secondary door stabilizing latch mechanism 40 includes two similar C-shaped striker assemblies 42 and 44 of opposite hand. These striker assemblies are adjustably mounted in substantially aligned opposing relation on the jamb faces of the center primary lock pillar 20 and the hinge supporting front pillar 14, respectively. As best seen in FIGURE 5, the striker assemblies 42 and 44 each include a striker plate 46 supported in spaced relation to the adjacent jamb face by the lower portion of a C-shaped bracket 48. The striker plates 46 each have suitable rotary bolt engaging keeper teeth 50 projecting upwardly and inwardly of its supporting bracket member. During final door closing movement, these opposing striker assemblies are engageable with two similar rotary bolt assemblies 52 and 54 of opposite hand coaxially mounted on the opposite jamb faces of the door 22.

The rotary bolt assemblies 52 and 54 of the secondary latch mechanism each includes a gear-shaped rotary bolt 56 and 58, respectively. These bolts are journaled between door mounting plates 60 and 62 and outer bolt housings 64- and 66, respectively. The bolt housings 64 and 66 open downwardly to spacedly receive the projecting teeth of the adjacent striker plate and are slidably engageable with the upper portion of the adjacent striker bracket during door closing movement. The bolts 56 and S are secured at 68 and 70 to opposite ends of an interconnecting rod or shaft 72. A pair of axially spaced coil springs 74 and 76 embrace the shaft 72 intermediate its ends and are torsionally interposed between stop pins 78 and 80 carried by the shaft and adjacent spring seating flanges 82 and 84 provided in the interior of the door structure. As best seen in FIGURE 3, these springs torsionally rotate the rod 72 and the rod supported pins 78 and 80 into limiting abutment with the adjacent edges of the spring seating fianges 82 and 84 when the door is in an unlatched opened position. The rotary bolts 56 and 58 are thus positioned to provide simultaneous initial engagement with the teeth of the adjacent striker assemblies 42 and 44 and subsequent control of door closing movement to its latch maintained, fully closed position shown in FIGURE 2.

From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the invention provides a vehicle door mounted for translatory swinging movement with a relatively simple inexpensive means for maintaining the door in a fully closed position independently of the primary latch detent releasing connection. It will be further apparent to those skilled in the art that various changes and departures might be made in and from the disclosed illustrative structure, including movement controlling design variations in the opposing bolts and strikers and use of the detent releasable primary latch bolt to drive the hinge pillar engaging bolt of the secondary latch mechanism, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. In combination with a vehicle body having a door opening and a door hinged to one side of said opening for translatory movement of the door, a primary latch means to maintain the free swinging edge of said door in a closed position with the side of said opening adjacent the free swinging door edge, an auxiliary latch means including a first movable bolt means mounted on the hinged edge of said door and a second movable bolt means mounted on the free swinging door edge With both of said bolt means being movable relative to said door, interconnecting means operably connecting said first and second movable bolt means for concurrent movement thereof, each of said bolt means being engageable with associated auxiliary keeper members at the sides of the door opening so that upon closing movement of the door either of said bolt means is effective to move the other bolt means into latching engagement with the keeper member associated with said other bolt means.

2. In the combination set forth in claim 1, spring means for biasing said first and second movable bolt means to a predetermined position prior to latching engagement with the auxiliary keeper members.

3. In combination with a vehicle body having a door opening therein and a door mounted for translatory movement between opened and closed positions relative to the door opening in said body, primary latch means operable to maintain a first side of said door in closed position relative to an adjacent first side of the body door opening, an auxiliary latch means including a rotary bolt operable to maintain the side of the door opposite said first side in closed position relative to the adjacent second side of the body door opening, and means engageable during closing movement of said first door side relative to the adjacent first side of the body door opening and operably connected to rotate the rotary bolt of said secondary latch means into door closing latching engagement with the adjacent second side of the body door opening.

4. In the combination set forth in claim 3, spring means biasing the rotary bolt of said auxiliary latch means to a rotated position conditioning said secondary latch means for initial latching engagement during door closing movement relative to the opposite side of the body door opening.

5. In combination with a vehicle body having a door opening therein and a door hinged at one side thereof for translatory swinging movement between opened and closed positions relative to the door opening in said body, primary latch means engageable during door closing movement and operable to maintain the side of the door opposite its hinged side in closed position relative to the adjacent side of the body door opening, a secondary latch means including a first rotary bolt mounted on and operable to maintain the hinged side of the door in closed position relative to the adjacent hinge side of the body door opening, and a second rotary bolt mounted on said opposite side of the door and drivingly connected to rotate said first bolt, said second bolt being rotatably engageable during closing movement of said opposite door side relative to the adjacent opposite side of the body door opening and operable to rotate said first rotary bolt into door closing engagement with the adjacent hinge side of the body door opening.

6. In the combination set forth in claim 5, means torsionally biasing the driving connection between said first and second rotary bolts to a stop limited rotated position conditioning said bolts for simultaneous initial engagement during door closing movement and subsequent rotation thereby regulating final door closing movement relative to the adjacent sides of the body door opening.

7. In combination with a vehicle body having a door hinged at one side for translatory swinging movement between opened and closed positions 4relative to a body defined door opening, a latch mechanism including a first rotary bolt operable to maintain a hinged first side of the door in closed position relative to an adjacent hinge mounting first side of the body door opening and rotatably ,engageable during closing movement of the door with a first keeper means mounted on said hinge mounting first side of the body door opening, a second rotary bolt operable to maintain a second side of the door opposite the hinged first side thereof in closed position relative to an adjacent second side of the body door opening, said second bolt being rotatably engageable during closing movement of said second opposite door side with a second keeper means mounted on said second side of the body door opening and drivingly connected to rotate said first rotary bolt into initial door closing engagement with said first keeper means with subsequent simultaneous rotation of said bolts regulating final door closing movement relative to the adjacent sides of the door opening.

8. In the combination set forth in claim 7, means torsionally biasing the driving connection between said first and second rotary bolts to a stop limited rotated position conditioning said bolts for simultaneous initial engagement during door closing movement and subsequent rota- References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 5/20 Strd 292-218 8/61 McPherreu 20-16 6 3,004,303 10/61 Wilmer 20-16 3,006,683 10/61 Smith 16-163 3,051,280 8/62 Bergman et al. 189-46 FOREIGN PATENTS 356,789 12/05 France.

M. HENSON WOOD, JR., Primary Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH A VEHICLE BODY HAVING A DOOR OPENING AND A DOOR HINGED TO ONE SIDE OF SAID OPENING FOR TRANSLATORY MOVEMENT OF THE DOOR, A PRIMARY LATCH MEANS TO MAINTAIN THE FREE SWINGING EDGE OF SAID DOOR IN A CLOSED POSITION WITH THE SIDE OF SAID OPENING ADJACENT THE FREE SWINGING DOOR EDGE, AN AUXILIARY LATCH MEANS INCLUDING A FIRST MOVABLE BOLT MEANS MOUNTED ON THE HINGED EDGE OF SAID DOOR AND A SECOND MOVABLE BOLT MEANS MOUNTED ON THE FREE SWINGING DOOR EDGE WITH BOTH OF SAID BOLT MEANS BEING MOVABLE RELATIVE TO SAID DOOR, INTERCONNECTING MEANS OPERABLY CONNECTING SAID FIRST AND SECOND MOVABLE BOLT MEANS FOR CONCURRENT MOVEMENT THEREOF, EACH OF SAID BOLT MEANS BEING ENGAGEABLE WITH ASSOCIATED AUXILIARY KEEPER MEMBERS AT THE SIDES OF THE DOOR OPENING SO THAT UPON CLOSING MOVEMENT OF THE DOOR EITHER OF SAID BOLT MEANS IS EFFECTIVE TO MOVE THE OTHER BOLT MEANS INTO LATCHING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE KEEPER MEMBER ASSOCIATED WITH SAID OTHER BOLT. 